Gun Gale Online: Bullet Bruised
by Grisly Soap
Summary: Kirito has refused Kikuoka's request to investigate the deaths surrounding Gun Gale Online because of the risks involved. Now Kikuoka is forced to rely on Uriel. A damaged and overzealous SAO-turned-GGO player whose cry of victory has long since turned from one of joy and accomplishment to one of anger, terror, mourning, frustration and loneliness. Considerably darker AU with OC.
1. Kill Confirmed

**_CRACK!_**

A sharp gunshot rang out in the chilly air of the rolling hills of a dreary grey prairie. The sounds of flapping wings and wild chirping soon followed as imaginary birds took to the cloudy sky. Wild monsters and neutral wildlife paused in their movements, perked their ears, and raised their heads in the direction of the shot. Had there been any nearby players, they too would've been curious as to know who was responsible for the discharge.

Atop one of the numerous knolls was a two-man sniper team—or rather a teacher and their student going through techniques for sniping in GGO. From an outsider's perspective it would've been quite easy to incorrectly guess who was teaching who. The shooter, a male player named Ginrou, lied on his belly in a 'prone' stance. He looked like any other generic Gun Gale Online user despite having his appearance randomized like everyone else. He had short dark brown hair that was complimented by a pair of warm brown eyes that gazed intensely through his rifle's scope. His face was framed by strong features while all along his chin, jawline, and upper lip he had stubble. In the real world one would admit that Ginrou's avatar would make for a very handsome man, but in the virtual world of Gun Gale Online, handsome male avatars like his were a dime a dozen. But that's not to say every once in a while a player would have the misfortune of being generated a wimpy-looking avatar to control.

**_CRACK!_**

**_CRACK!_**

After firing off two more rounds which completely missed their target, Ginrou suddenly felt a sharp strike on the back of his head.

"Ouch!" Ginrou cried out in reflex even though he really felt no pain. Although, taking a quick glance at his health bar revealed that a very small sliver of his HP had dropped after being struck.

"Calm down! Just wildly shooting like that won't make you anymore accurate; it just makes it easier for the enemy to spot your position!" Ginrou felt another sharp strike on the back of his head, "And stop using the Prediction Circle and your bipod like they're damn crutches! They're there to make things easier!"

Ginrou rubbed the back of his head with one hand while he looked up at his attacker and instructor, Uriel. Again, anyone outside of the situation would've easily been mistaken as to who was teaching who. Many would've assumed that it'd be Ginrou teaching a girl the basics of GGO when really it was the other way around. Uriel stared coldly down at him with her lone azure eye; her ruby-red lips unintentionally formed a pout while she pointed the barrel of her custom Remington 700 at the ground.

In spite of seeing and _feeling_ just how irritated she was, the young man couldn't help but briefly think about how cute she looked when she was angry. In fact, one of the main reasons Ginrou paid the rather expensive fee for the one-on-one sniping lessons was because he heard that they were taught by a foreign girl with a very cute avatar. And if you asked Ginrou, cute didn't do her justice.

At first glance, Ginrou was sure that underneath all her rare gear, Uriel's avatar was a unique one. In all his time wandering from MMO to MMO, he'd never seen one quite like hers. She was certainly taller than any female character he's ever come across before—she was almost as tall as Ginrou himself. Her hair was a golden blonde that gently shone even under the overcast sky; when it wasn't tied up into a bun or a ponytail by a bandana or ribbon of some sort, it flowed from the top of her head all the way down to the middle of her back. Even though he'd only ever seen her right eye due to the other being covered by a white eyepatch, it had to be one of deepest blues he's ever seen. And under just about any source of light, they too would gently shine and sparkle like some sort of jewel.

While Ginrou thought about how striking his instructor was, he felt his face grow flush out of embarrassment. Uriel sneered in disgust and lifted her rifle back up until her right eye was once again peering through its scope.

"Fire again, but this time keep calm and do all the things I showed you."

Ginrou continued to gaze at his instructor for another moment before quickly shaking all the embarrassing thoughts he had in his head and taking aim with his M21. It was a Designated Marksman Rifle that he'd purchased only a few days prior to the lesson. It certainly wasn't the most powerful rifle available for purchase in the game, but it was one of the few that Ginrou was able to carry along with his H&K UMP-45 as well as several magazines for both weapons without exceeding his weight limit. Quickly glancing over to Uriel who stared down the scope of her R700, the student immediately wished he had the strength, skill, and money to own and operate a rifle like hers.

An R700 wasn't really a rare weapon as compared to others in its class—uncommon sure, but not rare. Although one as heavily customized as hers certainly pushed it into the "rare" category and more than likely gave it a rather high in-game resale value. A typical R700 found in a drop or chest would come standard with a solid brown or green paint job with a bipod and scope. Uriel's on the other hand had transformed from a stock R700 into something much more exotic-looking. Its former olive drab paint scheme was now decorated with splotches of white paint and scrawled across the foregrip in English was the statement, "PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD." Wrapped around the stock and scope were bloody bandages whose various ends dangled from the weapon and softly swayed with the occasional breeze that'd blow through the field.

Noticing that Ginrou was hesitating to pull the trigger, Uriel slightly turned her head over to her trainee, "What're you waiting for? Fire at will…"

Ginrou quickly snapped his attention back to his swaying scope and searched a distant hill for his target. Amidst the swaying tall grass was a waist-high stone wall with numerous empty bottles lining it. Of all the bottles that Uriel had put on it, only two of them had actually been shattered in the past hour.

'_OK Ginrou, you can do this. Just remember what Uriel-san taught you and you'll hit your target.'_

After selecting a large green bottle out of the line, Ginrou tightened his grip on the handle of his M21, held his breath, and began to try and filter out the rhythm of his heartbeat. Taking into account the distance, wind direction, as well as its speed, he aimed quite a bit to the left and half a meter above his target. A pulsing, transparent, green circle –known as a Bullet Hit Prediction Circle- suddenly appeared on the center of the empty champagne bottle.

Its diameter shifted rhythmically in unison with his heartbeat; at its widest point the circle would be about a meter wide in diameter which was actually an improvement than when he first started. Before putting Uriel's tips to use the circle would've also covered just about all the other bottles around his target, the wall it sat on, and the sky above it.

A grin played on Ginrou's lips; even though Uriel had instructed him not to pay so much attention to the circle itself, it was still nice to see that the lesson was paying off. But soon following the thought was the realization that he was taking too long to pull the trigger and could feel his lungs beginning to scream for air. Panicking at the likely prospect of losing his first good shot, Ginrou hastily pulled the trigger and fired off a 7.62mm round. Its casing was ejected and briefly flicked onto the lily-white flesh of Uriel's cheek before shattering into blue and white polygons.

The trainee had lost sight of his target immediately after firing his rifle; his quiet gasps for air caused his scope to wildly sway to and fro.

"Target…"

Ginrou shifted his gaze over to Uriel who hadn't moved an inch and was still staring through her own scope. He couldn't quite find the exact spot where he'd first found his target, but that must've been a good thing. That meant the bottle had been obliterated, right?

"Still standing," Uriel finished.

The trainee had let out a defeated sigh before allowing his head to drop.

"Want me to try again?"

Uriel looked up from her scope before resting its butt on the earth and pointing the barrel at the sky with one hand. Ginrou flinched a little at the action, thinking that she was simply going to bash him over the head for asking. Instead, she merely let the rifle fall and rest into her shoulder while she reached into a pouch on her waist. After a little digging, she finally pulled out a small grey-and-blue item that he couldn't quite make out. It wasn't until he saw a small bundle of cords begin to unravel from her fist that he realized she was holding a pair of in-ear headphones connected to a small MP3 Player.

From the device's menu, a player could choose to listen to any song, audiobook, podcast, or recording saved in their computer's Music Directory. They could also setup a custom playlist with their favorite songs or stream audio and video from broadcasts like MMO Stream. An In-game music player operated just like one would in real life although they were seldom seen and used in most MMOs being that games like ALO and most other "Sword and Magic"-based games thought they broke the immersion. At the same time, even in MMOs where it was supported, players usually didn't use them because they made it harder for them to be aware of another player's presence just like they would in reality.

"W-woah, what're you doing, Uriel-san?"

Just before pressing the headphones into her ears, Uriel tilted her head in Ginrou's direction and with a blank expression, said, "Just watch me and pay close attention to what I do." With that, she resumed in putting in her ear-buds and opening up a custom playlist. After a little scrolling with her finger, she finally decided on a song and proceeded to stuff the player into a breast pocket on her tactical vest. Ginrou sat up with crossed legs while he watched his instructor pick up her rifle and snap its bipod's legs into place.

Strangely, the sound of classical music could faintly be heard while Uriel went on to lie on her belly, grip her gun and -much to Ginrou's confusion- close her eyes. As much as he wanted to ask her what she was doing, he refrained from doing so and instead took the opportunity to inspect Uriel's gear more closely.

Uriel's "armor," if it could be called that, was strange in that it looked very much what some mercenary would wear in the real world. She wore a black tactical vest over a red-and-white plaid shirt complimented by a pair of jeans and western cowboy boots. He was certain that if not for her looks, her clothing certainly turned heads at the SBC. The clothing in GGO was oftentimes flashy and considerably futuristic-looking as well as revealing in the case of female players. Never in the seven months he's spent playing Gun Gale has he seen such modern-looking clothing.

_'She must've gotten the items from either special events or quests only available to the American servers. And if that's the case, I wonder what she's doing in Japan and playing on an Asian server… Just who is this "Uriel" in reality for that matter?'_

**_BANG!_**

Ginrou fell back on his arms as he was harshly frightened out of his own thoughts by the sound of Uriel's R700 and the distinct metal clang of its bolt being pulled and put back into place.

**_BANG!_**

Ginrou, still startled by the sudden gunshot, sat frozen in place and could only manage to look down at his instructor. A chill briefly ran up and down his spine as he spied the intense glare he saw in Uriel's eye. With a blank expression she steadily continued to fire round after round until she emptied her magazine and her bolt was left pulled back and open. And she did all this without even stopping for a second to take the Prediction Circle into consideration. Reaching over with her free arm, Uriel grabbed Ginrou's M21 and tossed it into his lap.

"Confirm my kills."

The trainee sat dumbfounded for a moment before he began to fumble with his weapon. After wrestling with the strap on the bottom of his M21 and getting a firm grip on it, he finally managed to look through its scope and follow the bright green Ballistic Prediction Line that emanated from Uriel's scope.

"W-wow! We went from 20 to 12 bottles. All six shots were hits! You're amazing Uriel-san!"

Uriel disregarded his compliment while she coiled her headphones around her MP3 player, "And did you see what I did?"

"Ah- y-yes, of course! You didn't pay so much attention to the Bullet Line and you didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Right?"

Uriel lifted her head and looked over at Ginrou while she dropped her music player in her pouch. Ginrou couldn't help but feel a little nervous and fidgety, while she stared at him with that piercing azure eye of hers and her blank expression. _'Was my answer wrong? Did I completely miss the point of her display? Oh no, what if I—Ah stupid, stupid, stupid! I should've—'_

"Yeah something like that. Don't forget that I also kept calm while I was shooting."

Ginrou's racing mind was immediately put at ease with her simple answer and felt a small smile grow on his face. Was it strange that he felt a little proud of himself? The young man momentarily spaced out while he mentally patted himself on the back for partially getting the answer right and for not being scolded or smacked for being wrong.

"You learn to do that more and you'll become a pretty decent marksman in no time." In that moment Ginrou looked up to see his instructor picking herself up and gathering her equipment.

"Eh!? Where are you going Uriel-san? We still have 12 bottles left, don't we?"

"Unfortunately, 'Lesson Time' is over, Ginrou; I must leave for lunch. But if you want, you can stay here and try to finish them all off by yourself." While Uriel spoke, she thoroughly looked around their sniping spot after slinging her R700 over her shoulder. After looking satisified that she wasn't forgetting anything, Uriel began walking off in the direction of a nearby coastal town that they'd agreed to meet at earlier in the morning.

Ginrou quickly scrambled to his feet and began to collect his own gear before jogging after Uriel. "W-Wait! Are you having lunch in-game or in the real world? Because if it's in-game, I'd like to join you if you don't mind! I saw an interesting-looking inn while we were in town and I'll gladly pay for the meal!"

Uriel froze mid-step, "It's a lunch meeting I'm having in real life, Ginrou-san. Besides even if that weren't the case…" She turned her head and looked back at Ginrou with an icy stare, "I don't think it'd be wise for you to be hanging around a savage like me outside of business transactions." With that, Uriel continued to walk towards the coast leaving Ginrou feeling slightly confused and disappointed.

"Savage…?"


	2. Situational Awareness Part 1

"Hope this is the right place…" Uriel stared up at what appeared to be a restaurant's elegant sign. The sidewalk she stood on was teeming with shoppers and couples, all of whom didn't seem to pay any mind to the foreigner who stood in their path.

"On second thought, I take that back," she muttered under her breath. Just by looking at its fancy sign and glancing through its windows, Uriel knew she was seriously underdressed for this meeting. The army-green casual jacket, gauzy cream-colored hoody and black leggings she wore made her look like a vagrant compared to the rest of the eatery's patrons. As much as she didn't want to enter, she knew she had no other choice. "No point standing out here all day; may as well just see what they want and get it over with."

Drawing in a deep breath and clenching one of her hands into a tight fist, Uriel casually sauntered towards the pair of glass doors that stood before her. Hiding her discomfort behind a calm and impassive expression, she did her best to act like she belonged even though it was plain to see that she didn't.

Upon gently opening one of the doors, the sounds of classical music and polite conversation spilled out onto the sidewalk. Once she actually set foot in the restaurant however, the polite conversations quickly died as nearly all the patrons inside fixed their gazes on the young girl who seemingly wandered in. In the corners of her eyes, she could see some women carefully guard their purse and others scoff in disgust while they criticized her in whispers. With the classical music and numerous hushed conversations going on around her, Uriel couldn't tell whether or not the criticisms were directed at her general appearance or her foreign nature.

Walking further into the restaurant, she felt increasingly anxious and uncomfortable, but she didn't dare show it in front of them. She instead shot back with glares and unimpressed scoffs of her own at every other person she passed. Why did they have to meet in a place like this? Even though she'd only met him a few times a year prior to today, Uriel was already starting to dislike the man who invited her here.

"Uriel-san, you made it! Over here!"

In the midst of the disapproving diners was a lone man who, with a cheesy grin and overly excited wave, beckoned Uriel over to his booth. A relieved sigh escaped from between her glossy lips as she made her way past a handful of empty tables over to a dim corner of the restaurant where one Kikuoka Seijirou sat.

"Uriel-san, you made it! I was beginning to think you wouldn't show!" Uriel cringed at the sound of being called by her online handle outside of GGO. She sat down after carefully tossing her bag into the seat across from Kikuoka, "Don't call me by that name outside of the Virtual World." While she worked her casual jacket off her shoulders, a waitress kindly presented them a pair of citrus-scented hand towels, two glasses of water, and two menus that were both bound by wood and leather.

"Ah my apologies, Ms. Dunne; it's become a habit of mine to call the survivors I meet with by their handles rather than their actual names."

Heather Dunne –otherwise known as 'Uriel' in the world of GGO- took a sip of water without paying any mind to their waiter's momentary departure as well as Kikuoka's apology and explanation. After setting down her glass and clearing her throat, Heather carefully watched the government official that sat across from her. And in spite of the cold, analytical stare she gave him, Kikuoka continued to wear his cheery grin. A few seconds passed and Heather found that something about him being all-too polite and all smiles really irritated her.

Kikuoka was the first to break the tense silence between them, "Oh and please order whatever catches your eye. I highly recommend trying their pudding or any choices with cream in it. Their fresh cream is the best." Carefully reaching over the table and grabbing her menu, he opened it and began picking out his recommendations for her to try. He'd flip the menu over and point out every other choice for her to see before going on about what it was.

The young woman raised an eyebrow in bemusement at the official's sudden eagerness over desserts. Even though a year had passed since she's last had a meeting with him, she remembered him being much more solemn and professional. Heather found her eyes straying towards the window that stood next to their booth, _'Then again, maybe the circumstances surrounding __**that**__ meeting called for it,'_ she thought. Stealing a quick glance at the official out the corner of her eye revealed him still going through the menu. Heather rolled her eyes and scoffed; she'd be lying if she said she wasn't already suspicious of him; for she couldn't say that his demeanor was all just an act, but she couldn't say that it was a hundred percent genuine either.

"—So which one would you like to try?" Heather was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts once she realized she was being addressed. Bringing her attention back to Kikuoka, she saw him smiling politely and holding up the menu for her to grab. Despite him being a government official Heather couldn't take him seriously. From his giddiness surrounding pudding and pastries to his messy haircut, he reminded her of the guys who'd try to pick her up on GGO – guys like Ginrou. She nearly gagged at the thought.

Taking the menu from Kikuoka's grasp, she gently set it aside; in spite of the dull ache she felt in the pit of her stomach, Heather declined his offer, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass on lunch today. I'm not really hungry."

"Really?" Kikuoka raised his arm and pulled back his sleeves to reveal a modest-looking wristwatch. She expected someone with his status to have something much more expensive and sleek, yet his looked like something you could get at just about any department store. "It's almost one in the afternoon… Are you sure? It is my treat after all." The pain in her stomach intensified at the idea of a free meal; nonetheless, she maintained her calm and indifferent expression and nodded her head.

"Well, in that case, I guess it can't really be helped. If you're not hungry, you're not hungry. _I, on the other hand, _think I'll order a Cream Puff." With that, Kikuoka gathered their menus and set them aside for the waiter to collect when she came to take their order.

"So, Ms. Dunne, how've you been? It's odd to think it's been over a year since we've first met, isn't it?"

Memories of the previous year flickered through her mind. Her blank expression briefly twisted into disgust upon remembering how weak and pathetic she looked and felt back then. After waking up and nearly collapsing out of her hospital bed, the first thing she did was look for a mirror. She remembered limply wandering the halls of the hospital feeling as though she were in some sort of dream. The sterile white corridors blurred into one while she would stumble from door to door. Once she finally saw her reflection however, she desperately wished she was dreaming. Heather hardly recognized the girl staring back at her through the mirror. Hidden away behind her hospital gown was a sickly frail, skeletal body and reaching all the way down to her thighs was long unkempt blonde hair. In her mind, she had woken up as nothing more than an empty shell of her former self. The shock of surviving Sword Art Online as Uriel and waking up in that state as Heather was almost too much for her to bear.

Quickly growing upset at the unpleasant memories that resurfaced from the depths of her mind, she forced them from her thoughts and returned to the conversation. "I'm sorry, but can we please just stop pretending with all the pleasantries and polite conversation? There was a reason you called me here, what is it?"

Heather's sudden shift in tone and attitude stunned Kikuoka to the point that his smile had momentarily disappeared. Nonetheless, the official was quick to regain his composure and casually shift his black plastic-framed glasses further up his nose with his finger. "Very well," clasping both his hands on the table, he began to explain himself, "Are you aware of what it is that I do?"

"No, not at all actually."

"You may remember me as a member of the 'Sword Art Online Case Victims Rescue Force.' But since that time, I've become a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Technology, Second Separated Advanced Network Division." Although he stated all this information without missing a beat and without error, he seemed winded just saying it all. "To put it simply, I watch over the virtual world and also investigate the crimes tied to it."

Now it was Heather's turn to be stunned, "Crimes?" The young woman's body grew slightly numb and cold upon hearing his last statement.

"You know, things like: virtual theft, fraud, property damage, and those kinds of things. Actually, there have also been several cases of in-game disputes actually escalating into real world confrontations; one of them unfortunately ended up becoming a murder case."

"And how do any of those things have anything to do with me?"

"I'm getting to that part. You see, after the SAO Incident, I've asked several survivors of the '_Death Game'_ to become my eyes and ears in the virtual world."

"So they're informants."

"I prefer the term, _'Watchdogs,'_" replied Kikuoka. "They usually help investigate the list of crimes I just mentioned."

Heather grew uneasy, was this meeting about the things she'd done while stuck in the world of SAO? Kikuoka must've picked up on her anxieties because just as Heather was about to ask whether or not she was being investigated, he addressed it. "We both know what happened to you in SAO, _Juno,_ so before you ask, no, you aren't being investigated for your 'crimes.'"

As soon as the name "_Juno,_" left the official's lips, Heather felt the color slightly drain from her face.

"'_Juno_' was your actual username when you first logged into SAO, correct?"

Heather neither confirmed nor denied Kikuoka's question; she merely lowered her head until her blonde hair covered her face.

"And then, from what I gathered, you gained the title, _'The Angel of Repentance, Uriel,_' after you—"

"I'm aware of how I became Uriel," Heather snapped; Kikuoka choked on his words, he was surprised to hear that a 20 year-old woman such as herself had such a commanding voice. "Bad things happened to Juno and in return, Uriel did bad things; if what you said is true and I'm not being investigated then let's leave it at that shall we?"

"Of course," at that moment, the government official sat back in his seat with his hands in his lap as he looked past Heather's shoulder. Glancing over it, she saw that their waitress was steadily approaching.

After taking the official's order, both she and Kikuoka turned their attention to Heather. "Last chance, Ms. Dunne. Are you sure you aren't hungry?" Heather shot Kikuoka an annoyed glance, she wished he'd just leave the matter alone. But before she could open her mouth to deny his offer yet again, her stomach interrupted her with a bellowing tortured growl.

Both the waitress and Kikuoka stared at her in complete surprise; the normally well-reserved young woman could feel her face grow flush out of embarrassment. The waitress held a hand up to her lips to stifle a giggle while a smiling Kikuoka handed Heather one of the menus.

Without saying a word, Heather accepted the menu. Upon opening it, she was amazed at how many options were available to her. Thinking of Kikuoka's suggestion, she carefully flicked the through page after page until she came across the desserts. And while they all sounded like they'd be a spectacle for the taste buds, her grumbling stomach reminded her that the past couple days of running on empty has left it yearning for something more. After looking through the menu more carefully, Heather had resolved to order one of their largest burgers with a side of ranch and steak fries, a creampuff for dessert, and iced tea to chase it all down.

Once she relayed her choices back to her benefactor and their waitress, Heather set aside her menu and immediately noticed their amazed expressions. "What?" she asked in confusion, "Didn't you say something about ordering anything that '_caught my eye_.'"

Kikuoka shook his head, "That's not it; it's just… are you sure you can eat all that?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Heather reassured with a huff. She looked off to the side and hoped that the restaurant's dim lighting hid the fact that her cheeks had grown even redder. "Well, you are an American after all, so I suppose there's nothing to worry about."

Heather's eyes grew wide as soon as the comment left the official's lips, "And just what the hell's that supposed to mean!" Heather very nearly slammed her fists into the face of the table, startling the waitress in the process as she scurried away from their booth.

"Now, now, Ms. Dunne, I'm just trying to lighten the mood; no need to be so sensitive."

"_Sensitive my ass..._" Heather muttered.

* * *

**_A/N: _**Well here's chapter 2 finally!I've been meaning to get this chapter out for the longest time now but I could never seem to be quite happy with it and plus my schedule made having opportunities to write few and often short-lived. But now I finally got it done and I can get started on the next one which will hopefully be out much sooner! Please feel free to leave a review if you enjoy this story so far!


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